Co-Host at TCM
Who inspired me:
I was always interested in the idea of entertainment journalism because I grew up loving music, TV, and film and I enjoyed writing from a young age. My eureka moment was when I was lucky enough to do a summer internship at Entertainment Weekly magazine while I was in college thirty years ago. That summer I met two people in particular—Mark Harris and Jess Cagle—who were both brilliant journalists and lovely people. To this day they are two of my top mentors.
Favorite story:
I will always remember my first Entertainment Weekly cover story, which was about the Backstreet Boys in 1998. I couldn’t believe I was being given the opportunity to write a cover story at age 25, and I tried to create an article that showed an appreciation for their success and popularity with just a tiny bit of snark sprinkled in. It was a big boost to my confidence and led to over 50 cover stories during my time at the magazine.
Responsibility being queer:
I do feel an added responsibility to be especially sensitive around LGBTQ+ issues in my work. It’s been so rewarding to see the increased representation over the past three decades since I started my career.
Preserving LGBTQ+ history and culture:
Certainly in my current job as a host on TCM, I consider presenting and preserving LGBTQ+ history in film one of my most important roles. Because of the production code, gay and lesbian characters virtually did not exist for decades, but that doesn’t mean that they weren’t there in the shadows or that LGBTQ+ people didn’t contribute to classic film. I love being able to spotlight their stories whenever possible, in my book 50 Oscar Nights for instance.
What keeps me passionate:
Honestly, right now I feed off of the passion of our loyal TCM viewers, whether they are film industry professionals themselves or simply film lovers. Knowing that we have such a devoted and passionate audience gives me all the incentive I need to do my best.
Advice:
I would say you should follow your passion and become an expert in whatever it is that you love. That will open doors that you can never imagine. And your work won’t feel like work.
Impact on my personal life:
I would imagine that most journalists see a significant overlap between their professional and personal circles simply because journalists are by and large very interesting and intelligent people. So many of my friends are people who have similar careers to mine.
Future goals or projects:
I’m so happy doing what I’m doing now that I just want to stay the course. I hope to stay at TCM for a long time and I expect to write more books in the near future as well.
